


Butterfly Wings.

by AzureAlquimista



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adult Hermione Granger, F/M, Hermione Granger-centric, Minor Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:42:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29563473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureAlquimista/pseuds/AzureAlquimista
Summary: NEW CHAPTER 4 POSTED. (The former chapter 4 is now 5)A night of passion and a small coincidence bring back an almost forgotten past and a lost love. Is it really a second chance to find the love of her life, or is it just a fleeting infatuation? Will Hermione risk what could be the best relationship she's ever had to find out?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Original Male Character(s), Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 57
Kudos: 20





	1. Early Experiments.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ViviTheFolle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViviTheFolle/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my new-old fic. I have translated it and changed some things to make it canon. I hope you like it.

Hermione moaned faintly. She felt the desire growing unstoppably inside her once more. Hands ran softly along the skin of her thighs as a warm, wet tongue stroked over and over between her legs, tirelessly exploring her sex, and provoking the most delicious and wicked sensations.

A small growl of frustration escaped her mouth when she noticed her lover's lips leaving her skin, but the protest was quickly silenced as he began to climb up her body, giving her small kisses, biting and licking his way through it.

She had met Stuart Ledford at a party earlier that evening. From the first moment she had found him to be an incredibly attractive and pleasant person; that and several months of 'sexual drought' had been responsible that, before she knew it, she was in his bed and fornicating like there was no tomorrow.

To her pleasant surprise, Stuart had proved to be not only a charming person but also the best lover she had ever had. Maybe their relationship wasn't serious, and maybe it never would be, but for the moment she couldn't care less; all she wanted now was to enjoy the moment as much as she could.

All coherent thought left her head when she felt the warmth of his erection sliding between her folds, and pressing lightly against her entrance. She shifted her position slightly to ease the penetration and nodded her head. Her body accepted the invasion almost effortlessly. Stuart let out a sigh and began to move slowly, eliciting a moan from her each time he pushed back inside her. His movements accelerated gradually, as Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist, her eyes closed, concentrating on the incredible sensations he was creating with his thrusts.

Stuart lifted her hips slightly and leaned over her, increasing the friction against her already overexcited clit. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pleasure. "Stuart... I can't take it anymore." He looked at her for a moment. They were both at the limit of their endurance. They intertwined their hands tightly and continued to pound flesh against flesh at an even more frantic pace.

Hermione was the first to reach orgasm. In the midst of the rising waves of pleasure that clouded her mind an image fleetingly appeared: Ron naked, on top of her, inside her, wildly thrusting into her again and again. She felt her insides melt, and an absolute ecstasy swept through her, tensing each and every one of her muscles. Almost immediately she felt her lover's heat deep inside her and his sweaty, panting body collapsing on top of hers with a choked moan.

They lay like that for a few minutes, catching their breath. Then Stuart kissed her tenderly and withdrew from inside her, slipping to one side and falling almost immediately into a deep sleep.

Normally Hermione would have been annoyed that her lover fell asleep so quickly, in some way it made her feel used, but after giving her the best night of sex of her life, she understood perfectly well that he could be totally exhausted. Besides, it allowed her to concentrate on another small matter: why the hell she'd been thinking about Ron at THAT very moment, and why she'd had the most intense orgasm since... well, for a long, long time.

As soon as she gave some thought about it, she realised what had happened: Stuart had held her hands, interlacing their fingers, like Ron used to do. No doubt that was the reason why she had unconsciously associated Ron with him. And as for why she'd been so aroused... Well, that didn't really require any explanation either, apart from Stuart's very remarkable skill as a lover.

But if it was all so obvious, then why did she feel so uneasy? It was like when she thought she had solved a problem, but inside she knew that it wasn't the right answer; that she had inadvertently overlooked something important.

After a few minutes of hesitation and after checking that Stuart was still asleep, she decided to try a little experiment. She put her hands between her legs and began to caress herself. She closed her eyes and imagined Ron had his head between her legs, licking her, invading her insides with his tongue, nibbling playfully at her lips, licking her clit. She began to rub herself faster, imagining that her hands were his lips, his tongue, his teeth.

The orgasm hit her abruptly, almost by surprise, shaking her from head to toe and leaving her panting and limp for the second time in a few minutes. She withdrew her hand from between her legs and brought it to her mouth. She stopped an instant before licking her fingers. It wasn't Ron's semen that covered them, but of the man sleeping next to her. She wiped her hand on the sheets.

It was so weird! She enjoyed oral sex, but she never let them come in her mouth. She just didn't like it. And now thinking about Ron she'd been about to... "And if it really was Ron's. Would you have stopped too?" She thought about it for a few seconds, but honestly, she already knew the answer.

She lay there on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. "Now it looks like you're getting turned on by your best friend, what's next...? Ginny?" she tried to calm down and rationalize it. They were nothing more than fantasies, just that. Nothing real. She had nothing to worry about. She closed her eyes and relaxed on the soft bed.

She had known Ron since childhood, and he had always been her best friend; nothing more, nothing less.

As she thought about it, a small, almost forgotten memory caught up with her. That wasn't entirely true: At Hogwarts, she had been infatuated with him for some time; Around the fifth or sixth year, if she remembered correctly. It was just a passing crush, the usual teenage thing. Over the years she had come to forget it completely. She felt the sweet pain of nostalgia. Among so many horrible things that had happened during those years, it was nice to have that small, warm memory back.

A small grunt brought her back to reality. She turned her head and watched as Stuart tossed and turned in the sheets and continued to sleep peacefully, totally oblivious to his bedmate's problems.

It was clear that, for that night, the fun was over. She got out of bed careful not to wake him, gathered her clothes and quietly left the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To write smut in English is really hard. I know ten words for every bit, but I can't really comprehend their Clinical, Usual, Kinky, or Crass level.
> 
> For this chapter I tried to use 'Usual' level. This Hermione isn't a teenager, but an adult woman. For her, sex is something as normal as go out to dinner.
> 
> If some word don't feel right, or is funny, etc... tell me and I will change it. As always, comments, criticisms, threats (if they are funny), etc will be welcome.


	2. Reflections and Remembrances.

After getting out of the fireplace and wiping off the soot, Hermione plopped down wearily on the couch in her flat. She lit a small fire with her wand and lay there, warming herself while she stroked her old cat Crookshanks.

Normally she always did that; She never slept outside her bed if she could help it. Unless it was at the Burrow, or at Harry's or Ron's houses. But that was something else entirely, they were family.

She stretched lazily and looked at his watch: half past seven in the morning. Too late to go to bed and too early for anyone to be up. A perfect time for some reading by the fireplace.

Half an hour later, Hermione closed her latest acquisition, '1001 Impossible Potions', for the third time, and put it aside. It was impossible for her to focus and, to be truthful, she didn't really feel like reading any more. A smile appeared on her face: She didn't feel like reading! She would have to tell Ron and Harry the news, though she doubted they wouldn't believe it.

That reminded her that as soon as it got to a decent hour she had to go and apologise. After all, she had run away from the party without saying goodbye. Well, the truth was that Hermione had hardly spoken to them at all. She'd spent the whole night chatting and flirting with Stuart, and when he'd grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the street, instead of going back and saying goodbye to them as would have been the proper thing to do, she'd left without a second thought.

She knew that with Harry and Ginny she wouldn't have any problems and they would understand perfectly well that she just got carried away in the 'heat' of the moment, but Ron... well, that was sure to be another story. Still, Hermione wanted to apologise to him as well. After too many years of separation, they were finally all together again, and she wanted to take the utmost care of her friendship with them.

After the war, life had scattered them all over the magical world. Ron and Harry with their Auror jobs and their endless secret missions. Ginny and Hermione, first at Hogwarts, and then travelling halfway around the world, Ginny as a starting player of the Holyhead Harpies, and she as an ambassador for the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, contacting all sorts of 'non-humans persons'.

So they spent the next years, each going their separate ways, until Ginny decided to retire and pursue a career in sports journalism. By then Hermione had secured her transfer to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Soon after, Harry was appointed head of the Auror Office.

The three of them often went out together. Harry would 'distract' them with the countless anecdotes and adventures he and Ron had experienced during their missions. From then on Hermione was able to enjoy the company of her dear friend almost daily, though not as much as Ginny; it wasn't even a couple of weeks after her arrival when she started dating him, and within a few months the two of them were living together in a beautiful cottage on the coast.

All they were missing was Ron. They often asked about him, but Harry always replied that Ron didn't want an office job. He was a fighter and enjoyed doing combat missions.

Ultimately, it was a chance meeting that brought Ron back into their lives.

(...)

That night they had decided to go to the Leaky Cauldron for a few drinks before calling it a night.

Ginny had just returned after inspecting every nook and cranny of the place. "Not a single free table, I can't believe it! Don't people have anywhere else to go?"

Hermione smiled. "The same could be said for us, don't you think?"

Ginny was ready to retaliate when Harry interrupted "I think I've got the solution. There I see Og. Follow me."

The three of them made their way to a table that was occupied by a shy looking young man. As soon as he saw them, he jumped out of his chair and stood at attention.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Og, we're off duty."

The young man seemed to relax a little, but remained standing.

"Alex Og is the latest acquisition of the Head Office. One of the youngest and brightest Aurors in the Department." Harry turned to them. "Og, this is Hermione Granger, I assume you recognise her... and this beautiful lady is Ginny Weasley, my girlfriend."

Hermione noticed how Alex tensed as soon as he heard Ginny's last name. Apparently Harry had noticed it too.

"Yeah, Ginny is Ronald's sister, don't tell me you're still not over it?"

Og flushed. "Of course I am. It was just a silly bet."

"Yeah. Of course." Harry hadn't believe a word of it. "Well. So what are you doing here alone?"

Og shrugged. "Looks like I've been stood up... Again. If you want the table, it's yours."

What had happened between Ron and that boy? Hermione exchanged a glance with Ginny. She had noticed it too. They already had a new story to pry out of Harry.

Hermione bided her time. A few hours later, and thanks to Ginny's loving attentions, Harry had reached the adequate level of inebriation. It was time to strike.

Hermione tried to put on her most casual tone. "Well, Harry. You're always telling us about your adventures, why don't you tell us today what happened between Og and Ron?"

Harry waved his hand, downplaying it. "It's not very interesting. It was just a bit of hazing they played on poor Og."

Ginny cheekily pressed her chest against Harry's side. "But we're curious, pretty please?" She asked in a silky sexy voice.

Hermione found it hard to contain her laughter. She had never met anyone as shameless as Ginny.

Harry blushed slightly. "Well. It's not very interesting. Og has always been rather shy, so his squad mates convinced him that he had to prove to them that he was worthy of the Auror job."

Ginny nodded. "And what does that have to do with Ron?"

"Well, you know that Ron has made a name for himself among the Aurors. There was a rumour that Ron would never agree to be the leader of a squad where his scars weren't more numerous than all the rest of the team put together. That bunch of idiots couldn't think of a better idea than to tell Og that he had to ask Ron if the rumour was true."

Hermione squirmed in her seat - how many scars did Ron have for such a rumour to exist? And what was even worse: Aurors had the best medical care possible. Very few wounds left marks, so how many times had Ron been injured to have that many scars?

Oblivious to the effect his words were having, Harry continued with the story. "And the amazing thing is that he did it! Despite appearances, you've got to hand it to Og - he's got them good... One day, in the changing room, he asked him, just like that. But you know how Ron is. Instead of taking it as a joke, he gave him one of his killer looks, took off his shirt, and replied that, as he could see, he would never have to turn anyone down for that reason. Poor Og was so shocked that he never came within ten yards of Ron again."

He started laughing, but Hermione just felt like throwing up and Ginny reacted even worse; Harry spent the next few weeks apologising and sending them flowers, chocolates, and anything else he could think of.

They only forgave Harry when he promised them that, as soon as the slightest opportunity arose, he would convince Ron to move to a position where he wouldn't have to constantly risk his life.

(...)

Harry did not have to wait long to fulfil his promise; later that year there was an opening in the training unit and Harry immediately offered the position to Ron, although he, as always, declined the offer.

Ginny's response was extremely persuasive: No sex until Ron signed the transfer. Harry had no choice but to go to where Ron was stationed to convince him to accept. Neither of them ever said how he managed it, but Harry returned with a letter of transfer legally stamped and signed by Ron. From then on his friend dedicated himself to torturing (though he called it 'evaluating and retraining') all active aurors, including Harry.

So many years after Hogwarts, and the four of them were back together again. And if it was up to her at all, they would be for the rest of their lives.

She cleared her head of daydreams and got up from the sofa. Although it felt good by the fire, she was still sore and exhausted from her earlier and very enthusiastic 'uncasticization'. A hot bath would probably be the best thing for her battered muscles. She grabbed a change of clean clothes and drew herself a nice hot bath, complete with bubbles and scented salts. She slowly lowered herself into the water, enjoying the warmth that enveloped her. She rested her head on the edge of the tub and let her body float in the water. It was almost better than sex... almost.

It reminded her of Ron, and the effect he was having on her now. She stroked herself gently with her eyes closed, fantasising about images of some of the men who had passed through her bed. The effect was pleasurable. She shifted the focus of her fantasies and focused her thoughts on Ron. Immediately an image popped into her head: Ron sitting in the armchair next to his fireplace, as he often did, smiling at her... But totally naked. A surge of pleasure flooded her body. Just one thought and her body reacted like a cat in heat: she only had to purr! She had never thought that fantasising about childhood friends could be so arousing!

Then she imagined Harry just the same: naked and with a sultry smile. She could hardly contain her laughter. It wasn't that Harry wasn't attractive, but it was obvious that she saw him as a brother, not a man. It was impossible for her to imagine him from a sexual point of view.

Why wasn't it the same with Ron? She didn't really know, but he was different. Her relationship with him had always been... tense, strange. Ron was capable, in the space of five minutes, of the most appalling and offensive behaviour imaginable, followed by a display of affection so incredibly tender that, even now, it could make her blush horribly.

She felt a shiver run down her spine. The water was getting too cold for her liking. She stepped out of the bathroom and began to get dressed. Who should she visit first? She'd really prefer to start with Harry and Ginny, but she didn't want to risk interrupting some 'private affair'; it wouldn't be the first time this had happened. Ginny was a petite woman, but she had a libido the size of a Hungarian Horntail.

She'd better start with Ron. She threw the flu powder into the fireplace and took a couple of deep breaths before plunging into the flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed to explain a bit of our heros's backstory. I hope it wasn't too boring. As always, comments, criticisms, threats (if they are funny), etc will be welcome.


	3. The Red Den.

Hermione clutched her arms tightly against her body as everything spun around her. She was never going to get used to the Flu network; though it was better than trying to Apparate. There were some things that admitted small errors with an acceptable outcome; Apparating was not one of them. Harry always said that apparating was like defusing a bomb: one little slip and they'd have to look for your pieces through half of England.

Hermione had been a bit surprised when she'd thrown the flu powder and the flames had turned green. Ron was very careful about safety and always blocked his fireplace at night; if she'd been able to connect it meant that Ron was already awake and out of bed. Honestly, Hermione hadn't expected him to be up so early, but she wasn't going to complain; it was better to get a little dizzy than to tempt fate with an apparition after a whole night without sleep.

A few seconds and hundreds of turns later she reached her destination. As usual, Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and was about to call Ron when she noticed the mess around her.

Ron lived in a tiny flat, and seemed to enjoy having it as messy as possible, but this was too much. The table and chairs were strewn about the room, one of the closets was tipped over on its side, and the floor was covered with papers, pieces of glass and all kinds of things.

For a moment she thought that maybe someone had attacked him, but it didn't make sense. His house, like Harry's or her own, had almost invulnerable magical defences. And who would do such a thing? Now the magical world was at peace. Thanks to Harry and Ron, the Death Eaters who had escaped the final battle had been rotting in Azkaban for a long time. She waved her wand, muttering rapidly. As she presumed, all defences and protection spells were intact.

She had only taken a couple of steps through the broken glass when she heard a muffled groan from behind the couch. Holding her wand tightly, Hermione circled the furniture slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Ron was lying on the floor, his back against the backrest. As soon as she approached him she noticed the stench of firewhiskey. He wasn't hurt, but completely drunk! Her face grew hot with anger - the big jerk had done it again! Ron had always had a tendency to drink too much, but it had been months since he'd done anything foolish like that. It was clear that she'd been wrong to think he'd overcome the problem.

She levitated Ron and left him sitting on the sofa. Then she tidied up the mess around her. All the furniture was put back in its place with its contents neatly arranged, the glass that was on the floor ran into each other until it made up some cups... and two bottles whose shape she recognised at once. When everything was finally repaired and back in its proper place, she sat down on the couch next to Ron. Now came the hardest part.

She grabbed Ron by the collar of his shirt and began to shake him harder and harder. "Ron! RON! RON, WAKE UP!" Hermione was yelling as loud as she could, but he was still as asleep as before. She slapped him a couple of times. He stirred a little, but still wouldn't wake up. Hermione gritted her teeth. "Fine. You've earned it yourself." This time she hit him with all her might. With a groan Ron started to wake up and come around...with a huge red hand branded across his face.

After a few seconds of blinking and trying to focus his eyes, Ron finally recognised her. "Her... Hermione? What the hell are you doing... Argggg..." He grabbed his head cringing in pain. "What time is it?"

"Ten o'clock... Fuck, Ron!" She picked up an empty bottle and waved it in front of his face. "What are you trying to do, break a record? Or kill yourself?"

Ron covered his ears as he slowly collapsed onto the seats of the couch. "Don't shout, please... Couldn't you make one of those hangover potions?"

She gave him an infuriated look. "Not at all... I don't feel like it. If you're stupid enough to get drunk, now you'll have to deal with the consequences."

"Hermione. Please... I'm dying." He gazed straight into her eyes with a sad, defeated look, as if begging for mercy. Hermione hated it, she would have preferred him to shout at her or call her names, and argue like when they were at Hogwarts, but it had been a long time since Ron had shown that passion for anything.

She felt sadness replace the anger; there was no point in being angry with him any more, nothing was going to change. She sighed deeply. "I'd like to know why you're doing this to yourself."

Ron took one of her hands and placed it over his eyes, as if it was a blindfold. "Please, not now. The last thing I need right now is a lecture."

Hermione felt his eyes warm under her palm, perhaps he had a slight fever. She stroked his eyebrows absently with her thumb. What else could she do? "All right. You win."

Several minutes later Hermione returned from the kitchen with a restorative potion. It was the same one she often used after her nightly escapades, but evidently she wasn't going to admit that in front of him.

Ron was still half lying on the couch, his head back and his eyes closed. She stared at him for a moment. Sometimes she wondered if it had been a good idea to bring him to London. Sometimes he seemed happy, but others... There was something wrong with him, but she had no idea what it was, or how to fix it.

They had all been scarred by the horrors of the war, but they had gradually recovered. Even Harry was over it... Why couldn't Ron? She was tempted to ask him, but she doubted he would want to answer, if he knew the answer himself.

Despite being half asleep, Ron must have sensed her presence in the room because he slowly opened his eyes and stared at her strangely. Hermione ignored the look and sat down next to him, slipping an arm around his back and helping him to sit up; he was still warm and sweaty. Ron immediately recognised the sweet smell of the potion and smiled faintly. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She smiled back. "Take it. But don't think you're getting away that easy. We'll talk later."

He nodded and drank the contents of the glass. When he finished, he lay back down, already somnolent from the effect of the potion.

Hermione watched him as he settled back on the couch. Although he looked tired, his face was regaining its colour. "Better?"

Ron replied in a sleepy voice, without opening his eyes. "Yes, much. Thanks."

After cleaning the glass in the kitchen she walked over to the fireplace. "I'm going to see Harry and Ginny now. Don't forget we're meeting your parents at the Burrow for lunch today."

"Please don't say anything to Ginny." Sleep was getting the better of him and his voice was sounding more and more muffled.

She wasn't planning on telling her. It wouldn't solve anything, and all it would do was worry them. "All right, I won't tell Ginny anything. But don't be late. And tidy yourself up a bit before you go out." Before Hermione had finished speaking, Ron was already deeply asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last Ron appears. Not that it was a triumphant entrance. Lol. As always, comments, criticisms or threats (if they're funny) are welcome.


	4. Wicked Ginny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how, this chapter got lost. Well, there it is! I hope it was worth all the hassle!

Hermione appeared in the sitting room of a small cottage, it was decorated in a sober manner, but with a distinctly feminine touch. She brushed the soot off her clothes with a flick of her wand and looked around.

"Ginny? Harry?"

She waited for someone to appear without moving from the side of the fireplace. Although Harry and Ginny always told her to use the Flu network whenever she needed to, she had always felt a little uncomfortable. No matter how much permission she was given, it just didn't seem right to show up in someone else's living room without any warning.

The door to the kitchen opened wide, pushed by a smiling Ginny covered in flour from head to toe. "Hello Hermione, what are you standing there for? Sit down. Have you had breakfast? Some tea? I've got some cake as well. Wait a minute, I'll be right back."

Before she could react she was alone in the room again. Hermione knew that she tended to talk non-stop when she was nervous, but compared to Ginny she was nothing more than an apprentice. It was amazing that she could speak so fast without getting her tongue stuck.

She nervously approached the door. "I just came to see how you were doing and to apologise for leaving the party without saying goodbye." The door burst open again. Hermione jumped back, dodging it by inches.

"Oops, sorry! I didn't know you were on the other side. Here, leave this on the table. And don't be silly, we could already tell you were very... busy." Hermione picked up two plates with generous servings of cake and set them down on the coffee table. Ginny returned to her side in a moment, carrying a pot of tea in one hand and balancing two cups with their plates and spoons in the other.

After setting the table Ginny sat on one side, making Hermione sit on the other. "Well, it's all set."

"All set, for what? And where's Harry?" The more she got to know Ginny, the more she dreaded her. Or maybe it was just that over the years she was becoming more and more like the twins. In any case, it was always good to be prepared for the worst.

Ginny popped a small piece of cake into her mouth, and moaned appreciatively. "Harry had to go to the Ministry, but he said he'd be back before lunch. I was actually planning on going to see you this morning, but since you're here, you've saved me the trouble of going to your house to interrogate you." She looked at Hermione intently with a mischievous grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hermione picked up the spoon and fiddled with her piece of cake, trying to play dumb. She knew she didn't stand a chance, but she could always try anyway.

"No?" Ginny looked at her, suspicious. "Don't you have anything to tell me? I don't know... something to do with some gorgeous man... Maybe?"

"Well. There's really nothing special to tell." Hermione held back a smile and replied as casually as possible.

Ginny leaned forward examining her. "Nothing? From the dark circles under your eyes I'd say there's quite a bit."

She hesitated for a moment - was she giving in or playing dumb some more? But before she could decide anything a noise distracted them. An impressive eagle owl was at the window, hooting noisily.

Ginny walked over and picked up the letter, looking at it from both sides. "It's for you... And you'll never guess who it's from?" She was bursting with delight. She handed Hermione the letter and sat down next to her.

Hermione looked at the envelope: It was from Stuart. She hesitated for a moment, not really sure whether to open it in front of Ginny. She turned her head towards her friend, but she didn't take the hint. "What are you waiting for, open it!" Hermione gave up and mentally crossed her fingers, hoping he hadn't written anything too personal.

Tearing open the envelope she noticed something else inside, she tipped it onto the table and shook it lightly. Along with the letter fell a small silver heart-shaped earring. It was hers; she thought she had lost it the day before, during the party. She put it away and began to read the letter.

Dear Hermione.

Inside the envelope is an earring from you. I found it this morning between the sheets, I hope you didn't miss it.

I also wanted to write to you to tell you that what happened between us yesterday was something very special. You are an incredible woman and I would like to see you again.

I'll be waiting for you today at seven o'clock at the Leaky Cauldron, from there we can go to dinner wherever you want.

With all my love,

Stuart.

"You shagged him!" Ginny couldn't hold in her laughter. "No, nothing special. Well, he doesn't think the same."

"Well, it wasn't that big a deal either."

Ginny looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

"Ok! It was the best shag... Actually, the best three shags of my life. Happy?" she was blushing, and making it look like she was annoyed, but she actually found the situation quite amusing.

"Three! Wow! So you're going to see him again?" Ginny was excited, only Quidditch was more to her liking than fixing other people's love lives. At least she hadn't asked for trashy details, as she liked to do.

"Sounds like it. But don't get excited. I don't know if it's serious yet. He's very nice and all, but... I don't know... we'll see." He tried not to make a big deal out of it. And not just for Ginny's sake, she didn't want to get her hopes up either.

Ginny nudged her. "Yeah. Nothing serious. But in the meantime the sex drought's over. Eh?"

"Well, I suppose so. I don't know... maybe I'd have to take it a little easy."

"Take it easy? What for? He's handsome, rich, nice and gives you the best shags of your life. Why not take advantage of it?"

She couldn't help but laugh at the look of total incomprehension on Ginny's face. Hermione liked to enjoy sex without inhibitions but compared to her hypersexual friend she was like a cloistered nun.

Ginny leaned forward a little and looked into her eyes suspiciously. "Hermione, I've known you for a long time. Something is on your mind, what is it?"

"It's nothing. A nonsense." Ginny, besides being an incorrigible gossip, had an infallible intuition. A very dangerous combination.

"Nonsense is fun. Tell me!"

It was clear that there was no escaping it, and actually, she wanted to tell someone. Maybe it would clear her head. "Well. Yesterday, while we were... you know."

"Fucking like rabbits?" Ginny asked with an innocent smile.

How could she be so rude? Sometimes she didn't understand how Harry, as polite as he was, had ended up with her. Of course, if they did half of what Ginny was telling her, Harry must be the happiest man on earth.

Hermione cleared her throat a little. In these cases it was best to be clear and direct. No more polite euphemisms. "In short: The thing is, just as I was about to come, I imagined Ron. I don't know, he just popped into my head. And I had the most incredible orgasm of my life, I thought I was dying! And I can't get it out of my head ever since."

Ginny fell silent looking at her with a face somewhere between hallucinated and amused. "Ron? Ron... My brother?"

"How many other Ron's do you know?" she replied reluctantly.

"Relax! I was just making sure." She stood for a moment in thought. "Actually, it's not that unusual either. If I remember correctly, when you were at Hogwarts you had an enormous crush on him, didn't you?"

"I was a little girl! And it was just a teenage crush."

"Yeah. A teenage crush. So what do you plan to do?" Her eyes glittered with excitement.

Hermione tried to direct a look of pure hatred against her, but it didn't seem to affect her at all, if anything she seemed even happier. "This is really amusing you, isn't it?"

She shrugged but immediately made a mischievous face. "Well... Yes. Quite a lot, actually." Ginny stared at her with a big, defiant grin. "And you didn't answer my question. What do you plan to do?"

"Honestly. I have no idea." Hermione got up determinedly and headed for the fireplace. "For now we're going to eat with your parents and then I'm going out to dinner with Stuart."

"You're going to sleep with him?"

Hermione stood by the fireplace, puzzled by the question. "I don't know. Probably. We already slept together last night, why not today?"

"Not with Stuart! I was talking about Ron... Are you going to sleep with him?"

It was amazing how shamelessly she talked about her brother's sex life. "Ginny! Ron's my best friend. And he's your brother!"

"And?... This way, you would know what is going on for sure."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ginny. Some problems can't be solved with sex."

"No? Well, it has always worked for me with Harry." Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Suddenly Ginny leaned back against the back of the couch and stared at Hermione. The malice had disappeared from her face and a tender, almost motherly expression replaced it. "Seriously now. You'd probably be the best thing that ever happened to Ron. And maybe you'd be surprised too."

"I don't know. It's not that easy." She tossed the Flu powder into the fireplace. "Well, I have to go get ready. I'll see you at the Burrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Ginny is finally here! I hope you like ver.
> 
> As always, comments, criticisms or threats are welcome.


	5. Lunch and Dates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHAPTER 4 ADDED!
> 
> Probably with the new chapter 4, the story will be more understandable. Let's hope... Lol...

Hermione had never seen a room like this before. Not only was it impressive in size; every single object inside shone with extraordinary luxury and splendour. The walls were covered with paintings: Most of them were landscapes that swayed to the rhythm of non-existent breezes, as well as the occasional portrait that tried to conceal the curiosity that her presence there undoubtedly aroused; from the ceiling hung three massive crystal chandeliers that kept changing shape, as if they were enormous kaleidoscopes; and the furniture? Hermione had no idea what they might be worth, but surely any one of them was worth far more than the house she lived in.

She decided to sit in a two-seater armchair in front of the fireplace and distract herself by watching the flames twist around each other.

(...)

The lunch at the Burrow had been a success. Ron appeared fully recovered. Nobody would have suspected that just a couple of hours earlier, he had been lying in his flat unconscious and totally drunk. As was his wont, he took second helpings of everything and spent most of the meal discussing with Harry something about a new training method he'd devised. She hadn't been able to hear what it was about, but she did notice how Harry grew paler and paler as he listened to Ron.

She and Ginny discussed the changes being made at the Ministry while dodging Molly's insinuations that Ginny should finally marry Harry and how romantic a double wedding could be if Hermione finally decided to settle down.

After her parents died in a car accident in Australia, Molly took her in. She practically adopted her, and had been like a second mother to Hermione ever since. Molly was an amazing woman, but she was old-fashioned; very old-fashioned. She thought it was a young girl's duty to keep herself chaste and pure until she found the right man and then have a proper wedding. Evidently, she was not very happy with her two daughters.

Although Molly had always approved of Ginny's relationship with Harry, she couldn't understand why they didn't want to formalise it and preferred to 'live over the brush'. And her opinion of Hermione was even worse. Molly hardly ever commented on it, (Hermione suspected that she viewed it as a personal failure) but she knew that Molly regarded the kind of life she led as a kind of unbalanced debauched perversion that she had fallen into because of the death of her parents and the many sufferings and losses they had endured during the war.

After lunch, they were relaxing and chatting over tea. Ron beat at chess anyone who dared to confront him. Arthur was the only one who miraculously managed to rescue a draw from certain defeat. In the middle of the afternoon, Hermione said goodbye with the excuse that she had some things to do and went home to prepare for her date.

(...)

When she arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Stuart was already waiting for her. He was smartly dressed, with a thick winter cloak over his shoulders, a big smile and sparkling blue eyes.

As expected, the evening was splendid, during dinner they chatted about all kind of things and Stuart was as adorable as ever. Afterwards, they strolled down Diagon Alley, enjoying the fresh air and browsing the shops. As time passed Hermione began to notice a certain nervousness in her normally confident partner. Finally, Stuart remarked, trying to sound casual, that it was getting cooler and suggested to have a drink in his house, in the warmth of the fireplace.

Hermione hesitated for a moment: She knew that it wasn't just drinks he was inviting her to. By agreeing to go to his house, she was accepting that their relationship was not a one-night stand, but something more serious. In truth, after the disastrous end of her last relationship, she wasn't sure she was ready to start another one so soon, but what she was sure of was that she couldn't spend all her life licking her wounds, so she smiled sweetly and accepted his invitation.

(...)

That's how she had ended up in a gigantic mansion somewhere in the English countryside, just outside London, waiting patiently for Stuart to bring her something to drink.

As if he had heard her thoughts, Stuart appeared at that moment with a glass in each hand. "Here, it's Ypocras. It'll warm your body." He winked, emphasising the double entendre, and sat down next to her.

Hermione took a sip. It was hot and strong, but she felt immediately a pleasant warm spreading through her body. "It's very good."

"It's a secret recipe." Stuart smiled with satisfaction. "When I came in you looked very serious. Everything OK?"

"I was just thinking... I don't know, stuff. My life, I suppose." Hermione turned, so she could look him in the face.

"Interesting. And how is the life of the famous Hermione Granger?" as he said it, he moved closer and closer, until his lips were brushing against hers.

"Not so good, but it seems to be getting noticeably better." She whispered against his mouth.

Hermione slid a hand up to the back of his neck and pulled him in until their lips met. From then on the whole conversation was composed of sighs and moans. Between kisses, Stuart led Hermione to his bed, where they continued to kiss and caress each other as they lay on the sheets.

Stuart's hands began to undo the buttons of her shirt, slowly pulling it open to kiss and lick every inch of skin he could uncover. Hermione lay motionless, simply enjoying the pleasurable sensations her lover was giving her. As Stuart's tongue neared her navel, she lazily opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Suddenly all the images of Ron came back to her mind. It felt as if she had been punched in the pit of her stomach. She shook her head, trying to shake them off, but the harder she tried, the more firmly they seemed to cling to her mind.

"Are you all right?"

She looked down and saw that Stuart had stopped stroking her and was looking with a worried face.

"No, it's all right. Go on, please."

Stuart kissed her gently as he pulled her up to remove her shirt and bra. As the fabric parted from her body she felt the cool air against her breasts. The sensation didn't last long; immediately his hands covered them and a mouth took hold of one of them, while he continued to gently caress the other with his fingertips. Hermione tried to let her mind go blank and concentrate on her lover's delicious caresses.

"Wait... Stop. Please." It was utterly useless: she couldn't get Ron out of her mind, and for some strange reason she felt it wasn't right to be thinking about him while she was having sex with someone else.

"Am I going too fast?" Stuart sat up slightly so he could look at her.

Hermione felt her body freeze. There was nothing she wanted more than to tell him to forget about it and keep enjoying the pleasure he was giving her, but she couldn't. A small voice in her head kept telling her that she couldn't sleep with him. "No. It's all right. I'm just not in the mood."

"Did I do something wrong? If that's it, you can tell me." He put a hand on her leg, caressing it and looked her straight in the eye, trying to figure out what the problem was.

"No... It's not you. You're gorgeous. It's just that I'm having some problems, and I'm not... I can't." She sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at the floor, she couldn't lie to him by looking into his eyes.

He sat down next to her and slipped a hand behind her waist. "It's okay, we all have a bad day, do you want to talk about it?"

"Thanks, but I can't. You know, it's work stuff... secret."

He nodded his head.

She felt guilty, nervous and uncomfortable. She had turned him down at the last minute and without knowing exactly why. She needed space; to get away from there and think about everything with a bit of calm. "I'd better get home." She stood up and started to get dressed.

"As you wish. Are you sure you're all right? If you want I can walk you home." The concerned tone of his words only added to the guilt.

"No thanks, I'm fine. But I appreciate it." She finished buttoning her shirt in silence and walked slowly towards the door, not quite sure how to say goodbye.

"Will we meet again?" Stuart stood beside her. He didn't know what was going on, but it was clear he could tell something wasn't right.

For a moment she didn't know what to answer, but she realised that as soon as she clarified her situation with Ron, whether it was one way or the other, she would have to give him an apology and an explanation. She smiled looking into his eyes. "Of course."

The answer seemed to reassure him. "Good. I don't want to lose you." He kissed her long and deep. When they pulled apart Hermione's knees were shaking.

(...)

P.S.: Ypocras (or hippocras) is a very old drink made from wine, honey and spices or fruit. In winter, red wine and spices were used, and it was served hot. In summer, white wine and fruits were used, and it was served chilled.

It was considered to have medicinal and aphrodisiac properties and was very popular from ancient Greece (Hippocrates is said to be its inventor) until the 18th century.

In Spain and Portugal, a summer version of the Ypocras, the Sangria, is still very popular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is starting to get interesting (I hope). What will Hermione do after her failed date?
> 
> As always, comments, criticisms, etc. are welcome.


End file.
